Russia's intel chief: Western specialists admit no defence against Oreshnik

Western experts have reportedly acknowledged that they lack the military technology needed to intercept Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missile system, according to Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

In an interview with the state news agency RIA Novosti, Naryshkin said that foreign experts and military specialists had conceded that they do not possess the technical or operational capabilities to counter the system.

The comments followed a statement by Russia’s Ministry of Defence on January 9  which reported the use of the Oreshnik missile in a large-scale strike on critical targets in Ukraine. The ministry said the strike was carried out in response to an alleged attempt by Ukraine to attack the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine rejected these statements, calling them “Kremlin information manipulation.”

Subsequently, Russian officials claimed that the strike disabled the Lviv State Aviation Repair Plant, a facility involved in the maintenance and repair of military aircraft. According to Russian statements, the plant serviced aircraft operated by Ukraine, including F-16 and MiG-29 fighter jets supplied by Western allies.

This is the second confirmed use of the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile, which President Putin has repeatedly promoted as being impossible to intercept due to its reported ability to travel at more than ten times the speed of sound.

Russia first employed the Oreshnik in combat on November 21, 2024, striking a defence-industrial facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro amid the ongoing war.

By Sabina Mammadli